Cigarette tipper



Filed Oct. 26, 1935 INVENTOR FIG.5

W B W ATTORNEY Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE TIPPER Application October 26, 1935, Serial No. 46,940

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a tipping mechanism to be used in conjunction with continuous-rod cigarette machines or in wrapper banders, its main object being to produce a device suitable for operation at high speed by utilizing the principle of a continuous feed of the wrapping and tipping material.

To this end the web of tipping material is continuously fed from a reel and strips are cut therefrom by a continuously revolving knife or other suitable means for cutting the traveling web of tipping material without interrupting its movement. Immediately after the strip is cut a rotary segment roller nips the strip against a driven feed roller and accelerates it to the speed of the webof wrapping material and presses it into adhering relation with a pasted section of the wrapper web. Paste is previously applied to the web of wrapping material at regular intervals by a novel paster which forms a part of the subject matter claimed in my 00- pending application Serial No. 14,994 filed April 6, 1935.

Another object of the invention is to compensate for the increased thickness of the sections of the web of wrapping material to which the strips have been applied. For this purpose the web of wrapping material, after the strips have been applied thereto, is fed by a driven feed roller coacting with an idler roller carried on a spring-pressed arm which yields to compensate for the increased thickness of the sections of the web to which the strips adhere.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions hereinafter described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a U part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the tipping mechanism;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side view of the strip-feeding rollers;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional end View of the mounting of the paster studs; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the segment roller showing in plan its strip engaging surface.

Generally stated, in the particular embodiment of the invention herein illustrated there is .provided means for continuously feeding a'web' of .5 wrapping material, mechanism'for'continuously advancing a web of tipping material at a speed substantially slower than that of the web of wrapping material, means for severing strips from the leading end of the traveling web of tipping material, a device for applying paste at '5 predetermined intervals to the web of wrapping material, and mechanism for advancing the cut strips at the speed of the web of Wrapping material immediately after they are severed, and applying them to the pasted sections of the '10 wrapping material in adhering relation thereto.

In the best constructions contemplated the stripadvancing mechanism includes a feed roller underlying the leading end of the cut strip, an idler roller opposed to the feed roller and ar- 16 ranged to engage the unpasted side of the Wrapping material, the feed roller being sufficiently spaced from the opposed idler roller to clear the wrapping material, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip the cut strip on the feed roller and feed and press the strip on .a pasted section of the wrapping material as the same is drawn over the idler roller, a member disposed to guide the strip on to the pasted section of the Wrapping material, and means for driving the feed roller and segment roller at a peripheral speed equal to that of the wrapping material.

These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims for the particular device selected to illus- 30 trate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

Referring to the drawing, the shaft I0 is driven 35 from the main drive of the cigarette machine or other type of machine with which the tipper is to be used. Shaft 10 carries a gear H meshing with a gear [2 driving a gear I 3, the latter meshing with a gear l4 mounted on a stud l5 supo ported in pedestal 16. The gear l4 meshes with a pinion I! on a stud l8 and the latter also carries a gear I9 which drives a gear 20 mounted on a stud 21 carried by a slide-bracket 22. On the studs I8 and 2| are also supported a segment roller 23 and a feed roller 24, respectively, which coact to feed the cut strip C. immediately after it is severed. The raised segment of the roller 23'nips the cut strip on the roller 24 and feeds it towards an idler roller 25 around which the 5 web of paper or other wrapping material is drawn, as will be presently described.

The web of cork or other suitable tipping material C is continuously advanced by a pair of continuously rotating feedrollers '26 andZ'I'past suitable cutting means, the construction selected for illustration herein comprising a revolving disk 28 having its axis oblique to the tipping material and carrying a knife 29 which cuts a strip double the desired length of cork tip across a ledger plate. The cutting mechanism is arranged in this manner in order to cut the constantly moving web at right angles. In actual practice the knife moves with the moving web and severs it properly. It can be easily understood that unless the knife were so positioned the moving web would either be torn or cut on the bias when the knife contacted it and severed a tip length therefrom. Since the mechanism for driving the rollers 26 and 2'! and the knife has been shown and described in Patent No. 1,864,764, granted June 28, 1932, on the application of R. E. Rundell, it has been omitted herein. Before being cut, the tipping material passes through a guide 3!] and enters between the rollers 23 and 24. Immediately after the strip has been cut from the web of tipping material the raised segment of the roller 23 nips the cut strip on the feed roller 24 and coacts therewith to feed the strip with a positive control on to the wrapper web P drawn over roller 25, the strip being guided to the roller 25 by the curved prongs 3| of a rigid member 32. The strip is thus pressed on to a paste spot previously applied on the wrapper web, the raised segment of the roller 23 acting to press the strip on the wrapper web.

It should be noted that the roller 24 is spaced sufficiently from the roller 25 to clear the wrapper web, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it will not be smudged by the paste spots thereon. In this connection it may be stated that the peripheral speed of the roller 24 and the raised segment of the roller 23 are equal to the linear speed of the wrapper web and substantially greater than the speed of the rollers 26 and 21. For this reason the speed of the tipper is not limited to the maximum velocity at which the web of tipping material can be continuously advanced while being out.

Since it is desirable to avoid lateral displacement of the cut strips while they are advanced to the wrapper web, the raised segment of the roller 23 may be crowned so as to have an ad- Vance point, as shown in Fig. 5. Accordingly, with this shapeof segment the roller 23 nips the center of the advancing strip end at substantially the same time the knife 29 is beginning to sever a strip and thereby effectively prevents any skewing of said strip as it is advanced to the point where it is applied to the wrapper web.

On stud 2| is also loosely mounted a sprocket 33 (Fig. 1) which is fastened to the gear is and drives a chain 34 running over a sprocket 35 fasten-ed on a shaft 36 A pinion 3! on shaft 36 meshes with gears 38 and 39 mounted on shafts 4D and 4| respectively. A paste roller 42 picks up paste stored in a paste pot 43 and transfers the same to an intermediate roller 44 which, in turn, delivers the paste to a segmental paste applicator 45. The latter applies paste to the traveling wrapper web P at proper intervals, at a section where the web P spans the members 46 which may be pins, as shown, or plates carried by the legs of a V-shaped frame 41. The frame 41 being pivotally supported in an adjustable arm 48 (Figs. 1 and 4), a patch of paste is thus applied to the wrapper web as it advances towards the roller 25. It should also be noted that the wrapper web is held in pasting position by tension, and if the wrapper web is broken or exhausted no paste will be deposited on the wrapper web or the studs 46 or other parts of the tipper.

The cut strips are applied to the pasted areas of the wrapper web as it is drawn over the roller 25 by the coacting feed rollers 49 and 50. Roller 49 is fastened on the shaft l and driven at a peripheral speed equal to that of the roller 25, and the roller 59 is mounted in a spring-pressed arm 50a which yields to compensate for the increased thickness of the tipped sections of the wrapper Web as the same is fed to the cigarette machine.

An adjusting screw bearing against the arm 48 and supported in a bracket 52 provides means for raising or lowering the studs 46, to permit the traveling wrapper web to be set so that the paster 45 lightly presses against the same. Thus, the frame 41 may be swung on its pivot 41a in either direction to best suit the paster 45; and having been located for the best results, the frame 41 is locked in position on the arm 48 by a nut 53. The construction of the frame 4'! and the paster 45 forms a part of the subject matter claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 14,994, filed April 6, 1935.

Since the raised segment of the roller 23 must engage the strip somewhere along its length immediately after it is severed, it will be seen that the radius of the periphery of said segment can be no greater than the distance from the cutting edge of the knife 29 to the leading edge of the strip, otherwise the segment will project into the path of the knife. However, the peripheral speed of the segment must equal the linear speed of the wrapping material. Besides these limitations there is the further limitation that the length of the strip is but a small fraction of the distance between successive pasted sections of the wrapping material, the cigarettes being severed in the cigarette machine cutoff from the cigarette rod formed by folding the Wrapping material about a stream of tobacco showered thereon by the tobacco feed, by alternately cutting through the mid-section of the strips and midway between the strips. Accordingly, if the radius of the raised segment of the roller 23 were such that the segment engaged such successive strips during each revolution of the roller, said roller 23 would project into the path of the knife. In the present invention, therefore, the angular velocity of the roller 23 and the radius of its segment are such that the successive strips will be engaged by the segment during every second revolution only of the roller 23. Therefore, the radius of the segment will be less than the length of the strip as required.

The slide 22, by means of an adjusting screw 54, provides for lowering or raising the roller 24 in respect to the segmental roller 23, and in this manner the proper feeding of the strips can be maintained. The roller 23 may be rotated so that its segment will initially engage the cut strip behind the leading edge of the same. In this case the leading edge of the strip will not be pressed down against the pasted section of the wrapper web until it reaches the roller 49.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette tipping machine the combination with means for continuously feeding a web of wrapping material, of a feed roller, an idler roller opposed to said feed roller, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip a strip on said feed roller and feed it on to said idler roller where said strip is affixed to said web, means to guide the strip on to the idler roller, and means for driving the feed roller and segment roller at the same peripheral speed.

2. In a cigarette tipping machine the combination with means for continuously feeding a web of wrapping material, of a feed roller, an idler roller opposed to said feed roller, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip a strip on said feed roller and feed it on to said idler roller where said strip is aifixed to said web, a member disposed to guide the strip on to the idler roller, and means for driving the feed roller and segment roller at the same peripheral speed.

3. Mechanism for advancing strips comprising a feed roller, an idler roller opposed to said feed roller, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip a strip on said feed roller and feed it on to said idler roller, a member disposed to guide the strip on to the idler roller, and means for driving the feed roller and segment roller at the same peripheral speed, said segment having a crowned port-ion in the direction of movement of said roller and of a shape to contact the central portion of the leading end of an advancing strip to prevent lateral displacement of the strip being fed.

4. In a cigarette machine having means for continuously feeding a web of tipping material, a knife for severing strips from the leading end thereof, and means for continuously advancing a web of Wrapping material at a speed considerably greater than that of the tipping material, the combination with a guide roller over which said wrapping material is guided, of a feed roller, and a rotary segmental roller arranged on an axis above the tipping material to nip each strip on the feed roller immediately after it is severed and advance it on to the portion of the wrapping material passing over the guide roller, the radius of said segmental roller and the length of its segment being less than the length of one of said strips.

5. In a tipper having mechanism for continuously advancing a web of tipping material at-a speed substantially slower than that of a traveling web of wrapping material having spaced pasted sections and a knife for severing strips from the leading end of the tipping material web; mechanism for advancing the cut strips a substantial distance at the speed of-the wrapping material after they are severed and then applying them to the pasted sections of the wraping material in adhering relation thereto comprising a rotary segmental roller arranged on an axis above the tipping material and rotating at the proper speed to nip the leading'e'nd of successive strips in alternate revolutions thereof and advance the strips immediately after they are severed under the control or" said segment to strip-applying position, the radius of the external face of the segment on said roller being less than the length of one of said strips.

6. In a tipper having mechanism for continuously advancing a web of tipping material at a speed substantially slower than that of a traveling web of wrapping material having spaced pasted sections and means for severing strips from the leading end of the traveling web of tipping material; mechanism for advancing the cut strips at the speed of the Web of wrapping material after they are severed and applying them to the pasted sections of the wrapping material in adhering relation thereto comprising a feed roller underlying the leading end of the cut strip, an idler roller opposed to said feed roller and arranged to engage the unpasted side of the wrapping material, said feed roller being suiliciently spaced from the idler roller to clear the wrapping material, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip the cut strip on the feed roller and press it on to a pasted section of the wrapping material as the same is drawn over the idler roller, a member disposed to guide the strips on to the pasted sections of the wrapping material, and means for driving the feed roller and segmental roller at a peripheral speed equal to the linear speed of the wrapping material.

7. In a cigarette machine having a device for applying paste at predetermined intervals to a traveling web of wrapping material; mechanism for advancing strips lengthwise at the speed of the wrapping material and applying them to the pasted sections thereof in coinciding and adhering relation thereto comprising a feed roller, an idler roller opposed to said feed roller and arranged to engage the unpasted side of the web of wrapping material, said feed roller being sufficiently spaced from the idler roller to clear the wrapping material, a roller having a raised segment adapted to nip a strip on the feed roller and feed and press the strip on to the pasted section of the wrapping material as the same is drawn over the idler roller, a member disposed to guide the strip on to the pasted section of the wrapper web, and means for driving the feed roller and segment roller at a peripheral speed equal to the linear speed of the wrapping material.

JAMES W. LEARY. 

